COURTESY BLUESHIRTS UNITED
Who: New York Rangers vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Where: PNC Arena
When: Friday night at 7:00 PM
Watch: MSG-2 beginning at 6:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-1050 AM and NewYorkRangers.com
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The Skinny:
With three games remaining before the All Star break, head coach Alain Vigneault admitted after practice Thursday that he is very hopeful that his Rangers (25-16-5, 55 pts) can reach the six-day mid-season vacation on a definite high note. The first of those three games comes Friday night in Raleigh against a Hurricanes team (21-19-8. 50 pts) which played the night before in Toronto and which sits five points behind the Rangers in the Metropolitan Division standings. Then it's on to Ottawa for a tilt against the Senators Sunday afternoon before the pre-break finale at home against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night. In theory there are some games to win over the next four days for the Rangers, but Vigneault and his club are mindful of not looking too far ahead, especially considering that the Blueshirts have failed to win consecutive games since November 21-23. So even though they are coming off a rousing 3-2 overtime victory on home ice Tuesday over the Vancouver Canucks, and are largely playing much better hockey the past few weeks after a dreadful month of December, no one is taking anything for granted, begriming with Friday's contest in Raleigh. Vigneault has stressed the need for the Rangers to begin playing better on the road and to get far better play out of their special teams, in particular the penalty killing unit. Addressing the latter issue, the Rangers signed veteran free agent forward Daniel Paille, the former Boston Bruin Stanley Cup winner who is an excellent veteran penalty killer. One would expect the just-signed Paille to be in Friday night's lineup. If Chris Kreider (neck spasms) is able to play Friday--he skated on his own but did not practice Thursday--it is not known who will come out of the lineup to make room for Paille, since likely Jayson Megna would already be replaced by Derick Brassard, who missed the previous game due to an illness. Nonetheless the Rangers need to find a way to win on the road, something they have done only twice in their last 13 tries (2-9-2)--though thinking optimistically the Blueshirts are 2-3-0 in their previous five road contests. They will skate against a Hurricanes team that started slowly this season, but which is now 13-6-4 in its last 23 games coming off Thursday's 1-0 overtime victory over the Maple Leafs. Jordan Staal scored the game-winning goal, and goaltender Eddie Lack stopped all 32 shots for the shutout victory. Lack's performance was exactly what Carolina needed coming off the news that starting goalie Cam Ward has been placed on injured reserve with a concussion. Rookie Daniel Altshuller, in the midst of a standout season in the minors in which he starred in the ECHL before a promotion and more excellent play in the AHL, has been called up from Charlotte to back up Lack. Despite their recent improved play the Hurricanes are still one of the more poor defensive teams in the NHL and in the middle of the pack offensively, entering Friday's contest with a -17 goal differential. Statistically this season one way to beat the Hurricanes has been to carry a lead into the first intermission because Carolina is 0-13-0 when trailing after one period of play.
Head To Head:
The Rangers and Hurricanes will be playing for the third time this season Friday night, and they will meet once more on March 31, also down in Raleigh. The Rangers come in having beaten the Hurricanes in each of their last eight head to head meetings overall, and are a whopping 18-1-0 in their last 19 games against the Hurricanes dating to February 22, 2011. In addition the Rangers have won ten of their last 12 road contests against the Hurricanes. The Blueshirts have beaten Carolina twice already this season, with both games having been played at Madison Square Garden. On November 10 Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 33 shots he faced in a 3-0 Rangers victory at MSG. Lundqvist made eight saves in the opening period, 14 in the second, and another 11 in the third as the Rangers scored twice in period number one and one more in the final period of play. Rick Nash had a goal and an assist in the win, while Jesper Fast and Ryan McDonagh also scored goals. The Rangers penalty killers were a perfect 6-for-6 against the Hurricanes power play in that game. Three weeks later at The Garden Mats Zuccarello scored 69 seconds into the game and the Rangers went on to a 4-3 victory. Derick Brassard had a goal and an assist, and Oscar Lindberg and Chris Kreider also scored. Lundqvist made 33 saves, including 11 in the third period. New York again shut out the Carolina power play on three opportunities, while the Rangers scored twice themselves on the power play.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-J.T. Miller: He has shuttled from line to line, seemingly playing with a different combination of forwards every other game, but yet J.T. Miller continues to be one of the Rangers most effective and most consistent performers game-in and game-out. Miller has matured to the point where whether he is scoring or not, his overall effort, tenacity, and solid play in the offensive zone does not waver. And by playing in this more consistent, mature fashion, the goals and points are starting to come on a more regular basis for the 22 year-old Ohio native. Miller has two goals in his last three games and six goals and ten points over his last 16 games, where Alain Vigneault has largely kept Miller in a Top-Six role. His last two goals were, plain and simple, goal-scorer goals. Last Saturday he sent a left-wing laser off the rush past Flyers goalie Steve Mason for a power play goal; and then on Tuesday Miller netted the overtime game-winner by firing a hard low shot on goal, collecting the rebound, and then beating Vancouver's Ryan Miller on a wraparound. Miller now has ten goals on the season, equaling his career-high set last year in 12 more games played. His 22 points are also one shy of equaling last year's career best.
Hurricanes-Victor Rask: There is a lot to like about Carolina's 22 year-old former second-round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. He is a smart, creative player with a strong offensive upside and solid two-way skills. He is also improving at a nice clip, something an up and coming Hurricanes need from a young player playing valuable minutes on a nightly basis. As a rookie last year Rask appeared in 80 of 82 games. He scored 11 goals, added 22 assists, and totaled 33 points while posting a -14 plus/minus mark for one the league's most deficient defensive teams. This year through 45 games Rask has equaled those 11 goals he scored last season, and he is sitting on 28 points already. Rask is tied for second on the team in points, is third in goals scored, is second with 12 power play points and first with 11 power play assists. Just as importantly his plus/minus rating is Even. Clearly the Swedish native is progressing nicely, and the Rangers will have to keep him under close watch Friday night in Raleigh.
Where: PNC Arena
When: Friday night at 7:00 PM
Watch: MSG-2 beginning at 6:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-1050 AM and NewYorkRangers.com
*************************************
The Skinny:
With three games remaining before the All Star break, head coach Alain Vigneault admitted after practice Thursday that he is very hopeful that his Rangers (25-16-5, 55 pts) can reach the six-day mid-season vacation on a definite high note. The first of those three games comes Friday night in Raleigh against a Hurricanes team (21-19-8. 50 pts) which played the night before in Toronto and which sits five points behind the Rangers in the Metropolitan Division standings. Then it's on to Ottawa for a tilt against the Senators Sunday afternoon before the pre-break finale at home against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night. In theory there are some games to win over the next four days for the Rangers, but Vigneault and his club are mindful of not looking too far ahead, especially considering that the Blueshirts have failed to win consecutive games since November 21-23. So even though they are coming off a rousing 3-2 overtime victory on home ice Tuesday over the Vancouver Canucks, and are largely playing much better hockey the past few weeks after a dreadful month of December, no one is taking anything for granted, begriming with Friday's contest in Raleigh. Vigneault has stressed the need for the Rangers to begin playing better on the road and to get far better play out of their special teams, in particular the penalty killing unit. Addressing the latter issue, the Rangers signed veteran free agent forward Daniel Paille, the former Boston Bruin Stanley Cup winner who is an excellent veteran penalty killer. One would expect the just-signed Paille to be in Friday night's lineup. If Chris Kreider (neck spasms) is able to play Friday--he skated on his own but did not practice Thursday--it is not known who will come out of the lineup to make room for Paille, since likely Jayson Megna would already be replaced by Derick Brassard, who missed the previous game due to an illness. Nonetheless the Rangers need to find a way to win on the road, something they have done only twice in their last 13 tries (2-9-2)--though thinking optimistically the Blueshirts are 2-3-0 in their previous five road contests. They will skate against a Hurricanes team that started slowly this season, but which is now 13-6-4 in its last 23 games coming off Thursday's 1-0 overtime victory over the Maple Leafs. Jordan Staal scored the game-winning goal, and goaltender Eddie Lack stopped all 32 shots for the shutout victory. Lack's performance was exactly what Carolina needed coming off the news that starting goalie Cam Ward has been placed on injured reserve with a concussion. Rookie Daniel Altshuller, in the midst of a standout season in the minors in which he starred in the ECHL before a promotion and more excellent play in the AHL, has been called up from Charlotte to back up Lack. Despite their recent improved play the Hurricanes are still one of the more poor defensive teams in the NHL and in the middle of the pack offensively, entering Friday's contest with a -17 goal differential. Statistically this season one way to beat the Hurricanes has been to carry a lead into the first intermission because Carolina is 0-13-0 when trailing after one period of play.
Head To Head:
The Rangers and Hurricanes will be playing for the third time this season Friday night, and they will meet once more on March 31, also down in Raleigh. The Rangers come in having beaten the Hurricanes in each of their last eight head to head meetings overall, and are a whopping 18-1-0 in their last 19 games against the Hurricanes dating to February 22, 2011. In addition the Rangers have won ten of their last 12 road contests against the Hurricanes. The Blueshirts have beaten Carolina twice already this season, with both games having been played at Madison Square Garden. On November 10 Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 33 shots he faced in a 3-0 Rangers victory at MSG. Lundqvist made eight saves in the opening period, 14 in the second, and another 11 in the third as the Rangers scored twice in period number one and one more in the final period of play. Rick Nash had a goal and an assist in the win, while Jesper Fast and Ryan McDonagh also scored goals. The Rangers penalty killers were a perfect 6-for-6 against the Hurricanes power play in that game. Three weeks later at The Garden Mats Zuccarello scored 69 seconds into the game and the Rangers went on to a 4-3 victory. Derick Brassard had a goal and an assist, and Oscar Lindberg and Chris Kreider also scored. Lundqvist made 33 saves, including 11 in the third period. New York again shut out the Carolina power play on three opportunities, while the Rangers scored twice themselves on the power play.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-J.T. Miller: He has shuttled from line to line, seemingly playing with a different combination of forwards every other game, but yet J.T. Miller continues to be one of the Rangers most effective and most consistent performers game-in and game-out. Miller has matured to the point where whether he is scoring or not, his overall effort, tenacity, and solid play in the offensive zone does not waver. And by playing in this more consistent, mature fashion, the goals and points are starting to come on a more regular basis for the 22 year-old Ohio native. Miller has two goals in his last three games and six goals and ten points over his last 16 games, where Alain Vigneault has largely kept Miller in a Top-Six role. His last two goals were, plain and simple, goal-scorer goals. Last Saturday he sent a left-wing laser off the rush past Flyers goalie Steve Mason for a power play goal; and then on Tuesday Miller netted the overtime game-winner by firing a hard low shot on goal, collecting the rebound, and then beating Vancouver's Ryan Miller on a wraparound. Miller now has ten goals on the season, equaling his career-high set last year in 12 more games played. His 22 points are also one shy of equaling last year's career best.
Hurricanes-Victor Rask: There is a lot to like about Carolina's 22 year-old former second-round pick in the 2011 NHL Draft. He is a smart, creative player with a strong offensive upside and solid two-way skills. He is also improving at a nice clip, something an up and coming Hurricanes need from a young player playing valuable minutes on a nightly basis. As a rookie last year Rask appeared in 80 of 82 games. He scored 11 goals, added 22 assists, and totaled 33 points while posting a -14 plus/minus mark for one the league's most deficient defensive teams. This year through 45 games Rask has equaled those 11 goals he scored last season, and he is sitting on 28 points already. Rask is tied for second on the team in points, is third in goals scored, is second with 12 power play points and first with 11 power play assists. Just as importantly his plus/minus rating is Even. Clearly the Swedish native is progressing nicely, and the Rangers will have to keep him under close watch Friday night in Raleigh.
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